JP/Togean

JP/Togean

Saving the Togean islands from destructive fishing

Fachruddin Majeri Mangunjaya
Contributor/Jakarta

The sea was calm, clear and without a single wave.

The exhausting journey from Ampana, 150 kilometers from Palu,
Central Sulawesi, was immediately compensated for when we stepped
from the boat into a remote village in the middle of Kabalutan
island, one of hundreds in the Togean islands, situated in Tomini
Bay, Palu.

We arrived at a simple, wooden, raised house. The palm-leaf-
roofed house was constructed above the clear surface of the sea
on high stilts.

The yards of Bajau people's houses were connected. We
sometimes got confused over what were the front yards and what
the backyards, because they joined one another.

The village has a population of 250 families, whose
livelihoods depend on fishing. Kabalutan island is no more than
three hectares in area. It is very hard to find fresh water
there, which forces the inhabitants to find water on other
islands.

The soil of Kabalutan island comprises sand with coral and is
overgrown with moss; only one or two coconut trees can survive
there.

Fishing is the main source of revenue for the village, which
has a population of approximately 2000. Fish may be caught alive
by diving, fishing or trawling in the deep sea.

However, due to the pressure of a consumptive economy and the
desire to maximize their incomes, some fishermen also use
destructive and non-environmentally friendly ways of catching
fish, such as by bombing fish swimming in groups, or through the
use of poison or potassium cyanide.

Cyanide fishing is used by fishermen to catch fish alive. This
is triggered by the trade of napoleon and grouper fish, which
must be caught alive and taken to fish collectors in Palu to be
further exported to Hong Kong.

Such commercial business requires fishermen to catch fish by
intoxicating them and subsequently reviving them. The drugs not
only make the fish unconscious but also kill coral reefs around
them.

Another discovery reveals that plankton -- microorganisms
eaten by small fish -- are also affected by the drugs, which may
have a widespread impact. "The impact may reach a radius of one
kilometer," said Khairul Anwar, Marine Biologist of CI Indonesia
during a field visit to Kabalutan Island at the end of last
September.

The practices that badly damage the ecosystem have been used
by fishermen in Kabalutan since 1980s. But lately, the people of
Kabalutan have come to realize the difficulties in catching fish.
Mahmud, 45, tried to describe the difficulties faced in catching
fish since the increase in demand for napoleon and grouper fish
exports.

According to Mahmud, 15 years ago he could catch 20 kg to 25
kg of fish every time he went to sea. "There used to be a good
catch, but now it is no longer adequate, not even sufficient for
covering the costs," said the fisherman, who is also a teacher at
Al-Khairat Islamic School.

He said that he used to go to sea only once a week, and spent
the rest of the week teaching. His income from fishing was a lot
more than the salary of a III C-class civil servant (on average
Rp 1.2 million per month).

Now, he has to go to sea every night to meet his necessities.
"We cannot even catch sea cucumbers, let alone fish."

Guru Mahmud is a fisherman who has dedicated his life to
teaching religion to his students. There are 100 students in his
dirt-floored and palm-leaf-roofed school.

Far from his expectations, people are no longer able to pay
the voluntary donation for the teacher of Rp. 1,000 a month.

"I don't mind if they cannot pay, as long as I can still go to
sea," Guru Mahmud said. The agreement is that the teacher must go
to sea every night and the students get their lessons in the
afternoon. Most of his time is spent on meeting his daily needs,
while his catch diminishes continuously.

He is thankful that people has started to be aware of the need
to avoid the use of destructive fishing methods. Fishermen in
several villages have started to make efforts to save the Togean
islands. "If we cannot overcome the problems, our future
generations will suffer more. Where would they go to find fish?"
Mahmud said, in serious tones.

A number of fishermen have established associations to curtail
destructive fishing. The initiative was started by the
establishment of a Marine Conservation Area (DPL) by the people,
independently. Its management, as well as sanctions for
violations, are provided for in village regulations (PERDES).

The DPL is a form of public participation forum for curtailing
destructive fishing. In addition to Kabalutan, there are two
other villages that have a similar initiative, namely Lembanato
and Matobiyai, which have established a DPL in Kilat Bay.

"We hope that such community efforts will become an embryo of
a conservation area with wider coverage," said Christoverius
Hutabarat, M.Si., program manager of Conservation International
Indonesia (CII) in Palu.

Such a reaction is the result of hard work for years after a
long process of raising awareness. CII has been working on
community strengthening and has initiated awareness-raising for
several of its seven years working in the area.

To confirm his standpoint, Guru Mahmud explained that
religions prohibit human behavior that has a destructive impact
on either the land or the sea, while quoting a verse from the
Koran.

Therefore, fishing using bombs and drugs, in his opinion, was
not barakah (beneficial). "Up to now, I have been simply a
regular line fisherman; I do not use bombs. I now have enough
food to survive. They take risks though; some of them were hit by
a bomb blast!"

Fachruddin Majeri Mangunjaya is an environmental journalist with
Conservation International Indonesia. He can be contacted at
fmangunjaya@conservation.org